Last Chance to Make 2015 Tax-Deductible Donation

Today is the final opportunity to make a 2015 tax-deductible donation to support the work of the TOV Center. It must be made online for us to receive it today. Your help is greatly valued and appreciated. To donate go to -- http://www.myerscommunications.us/tov_center_donate.html

Two Very Interesting Pew Polls taken in Muslim Countries about Violence and ISIS

Two very interesting Pew Polls were taken in Muslim countries that focus on violence and ISIS. The first was taken in 2013 and is especially important in light of the immigrant questions that are in the minds of so many Americans. Keep in mind that it was taken in 2013. Pay close attention to Muslim Views on Suicide Bombings table. Read the complete survey at -- http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/09/10/muslim-publics-share-concerns-about-extremist-groups/

The second poll was taken in 2015. Recent attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have once again brought terrorism and Islamic extremism to the forefront of international relations. According to newly released data that the Pew Research Center collected in 11 countries with significant Muslim populations, people from Nigeria to Jordan to Indonesia overwhelmingly expressed negative views of ISIS. Read the complete 2015 survey at -- http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/17/in-nations-with-significant-muslim-populations-much-disdain-for-isis/

For NONES TOV Values is a Place to Start

A Dallas Morning News article, "Having faith, if only for kids' sake," caught my attention. Did you know, that "No Religion" is now the fastest growing religious group in America, with 23% of the country identifying themselves that way? In her book, Losing Our Religion: How Unaffiliated Parents Are Raising Their Children, writer Ruth Graham looks at how contemporary "Nones" - people who report that they have no religious affiliation whatsoever - handle the question of moral and spiritual formation with their children. She says of herself that she's been a church member for most of her adult life, but years without regular attendance, her theology is "squishy" and she does not really pray.

So what draws her soul? The warm memories and rituals of faith she is comfortable and familiar with- the songs, the stories, the bread and wine, are meaningful to her, but she can't say much for certain beyond that. She has a 3-year old daughter and wants to raise her with the songs and stories and to get the moral and personal  grounding that she and her husband were raised with --  but doesn't want her to be raised in fear of a Hell she doesn't believe in. Why pretend to believe if you don't, and why inculcate your children into a tradition you rejected?

"Kids ask questions about death, identity and other subjects that most of us haven't grappled with since we were teenagers. When a child is watching your every move, being a None is no longer a lack of religion, but an identity that has consequences for another human being, and a mirror that reflects back what you actually believe, rather than what you THINK you believe."

Graham also points out that at this early stage of the None Revolution, the research on raising kids with and without faith is mixed. With the rise of Social Media, there is less social pressure to affiliate with a religious institution. Some studies have shown that religious kids are better behaved and psychologically healthier, while other show that secular kids are uniquely empathetic and less prone to peer pressure. A new study of 1,000 children from six countries found that those raised in religious households-most of them Christian or Muslim-were more selfish than their nonreligious peers. The crux of the matter is this:

We will never be able to agree about our THEOLOGIES and our MYTHOLOGIES and which are TRUE or WHO'S RIGHT! This AUTHORITARIAN approach has failed miserably and the result is the world we have now and the society we have now. Mutually exclusive groups defending their BS (Belief Systems) – many trying to persuade everyone else they are right while others use violence, terror and death!

We believe TOV Values are good OPTIONS for all people, especially Nones.

(1) TOV Values do not require anyone to "belief in” or “explain” a Deity.

(2) TOV Values do not require anyone to "not belief in” a Deity.

(3) TOV Values do not seek the death and destruction those who disagree.

(4) TOV Values encourage interactions with people who disagree.

TOV Values are based on ancient tried and proven wisdom that values and focuses on LIFE, AFFIRMING LIFE, PROTECTING LIFE, PRESERVING LIFE, INCREASING LIFE'S FUNCTIONALITY AND QUALITY FOR EVERYONE. TOV offers a common ground, an opportunity for AGREEMENT, EDUCATION, RECONCILIATION AND RESOLUTION OF PROBLEMS.

And for the Nones, TOV Center Gatherings are safe places to explore all RELIGIOUS MEMES (Beliefs) – especially those you struggle with – openly, transparently and in light of facts. The TOV Values approach uses stories that are familiar to over two billion people to teach values-based lessons -- a good place to start when you're searching for the values you wish to teach to your children. All children love stories and nothing is more powerful than a parent telling a child a story!

Parents may be sure that sooner or later, their children will ask questions about right, wrong, life, death and a host of other issues. The answers they are given are important in shaping their belief systems and creating their realities – the way they view and understand life. Our children deserve answers that we have given serious consideration, answers we demonstrate in our lives.

It is very important to learn about and teach TOV Values for "Kids'" sake, but there are two additional very important reasons.

(1) Humans depend on other humans for their very survival and that requires relationships.

(2) Democracy requires citizens who share a common identity and core values – “We the people.”

We created the TOV Center to educate people about TOV Values and provide opportunities of self-discovery through interactions with others. We invite you to join the journey with us – CLICK HERE.  

Choose Life First By Doing TOV!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

The Real History Of Hanukkah Is More Complicated Than You Thought

Americans who know anything about the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah may have heard that it celebrates the victory of good over evil -- the triumph of light over darkness. But the real history of Hanukkah’s origins is more complicated. It is as much the tale of a Jewish civil war as it is about successful resistance against foreign interlopers.

● In 175 BCE Antiochus IV Epiphanes ascended to the Seleucid throne and initiated an explicit program of hellenization in the Jewish territory -- promoting the values of worldly knowledge, physical beauty, hedonistic indulgence and polytheistic spirituality.

● Antiochus’ measures were welcomed by some local Jews and Antiochus encouraged the development of the Greek educational system in Jewish society.

● A growing number of Jews began worshiping Greek gods, too.

The rising influence of hellenism was not immediately a source of open conflict within the Jewish community. But, eventually, Antiochus and his Jewish allies, including the high priest Menelaus, pushed the more pious Jews too far in a campaign of radical hellenization in 167 BCE:

● prohibited fundamental Jewish practices, such as circumcision, on pain of death

● introduced foreign rites into the Jewish Temple

● forced Jewish pilgrims to sacrifice pigs on the Temple altar

● built an altar to Zeus on top of the sacred altar to the Yahweh

● allowed prostitutes to solicit their services freely on the Temple grounds

Pious Jews rebelled only when religious persecution reached a level they could no longer tolerate. The line in the sand seems to have been the Torah and the [commandments], and the profaning of the ritual of the Temple. A series of cunning Hasmonean military maneuvers and setbacks for the Seleucids elsewhere in their empire helped the pietist militias conquer the city of Jerusalem in 164 BCE. They restored the ancient Jewish rites of the Temple, tearing down the altar to Zeus and other pagan gods.

Several centuries later, the rabbis likely developed the miracle-of-oil narrative that is so well-known today in the Hanukkah story. The first mention of the miracle is in a passage of the Babylonian Talmud dating to some time between the third and fifth centuries CE. It gave the rabbis, who were uncomfortable with the Maccabees, a way to say they respected Hanukkah, but they did not think focusing on a military victory and upheaval was a good lesson for Jews to have while living under the Roman empire. They didn’t want little Jewish boys to grow up and try to be Judah the Maccabee and attack the Romans. Read the complete article from which the above information came at -- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/real-history-hanukkah_566752afe4b080eddf55ff0b

The Closing of the American Jewish Mind

From the earliest years of my childhood, I always learned that the Jewish community valued intellectual debate. I witnessed this at every stage of my Jewish education. I grew up as the son and grandson of Conservative rabbis, attending services every week where the congregants and leaders engaged in vigorous discussions about the meaning of the liturgy. I studied at the Solomon Schechter Day School where my favorite class was Talmud, where our teacher Rabbi Lerner would carefully walk us through each line of text and demonstrate how every word and sentence could be dissected for new meaning. Rabbi Lerner taught us that the Talmud showed us how the Jewish people believed in debate for debate’s sake rather than trying to make everyone conform to the same opinion. That is the essence of Judaism. . . 

We no longer seek debate, nor do many shuls even allow it to happen. We are having trouble being tolerant of the other side. Rather than having different sides of the Jewish community debate the issue of U.S.-Israeli relations, too many shuls around the country are moving in the direction of simply prohibiting one side or the other from having a voice. As this exchange indicated to me, some shuls are now reaching the inevitable next step of slandering the character of fellow Jews simply through their possible associations. Read the complete article at -- http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/195443/closing-american-jewish-mind

“The Greatest Generation” Stood Up and Accepted their Challenge – Now It’s Our Turn!

How many more mass shootings? How many more political scandals? How much more corruption? How many more people killing in the names of their gods? How much more unbridled greed for profit at the expense of "We the People... and the Common Good?" Is this how we, Americans, are choosing to live in our nation today? Is this the legacy we want leave to our children and grandchildren? Was this the vision the Founders had for us?

I've mentioned many times, in the work that I do, that I come in contact with those who remain from that the "GREATEST GENERATION." My parents of blessed memory and their friends were part of that group as well. I've spent many hours listening to their stories and being constantly amazed by such a diverse group of people and experiences who came "TOGETHER" to respond to the horrible evils that threatened to swallow the entire world!

Governments are governments and politicians are politicians, but at that time, the government responded to the terrible hardships of the Depression by creating programs to put people to work and in doing so provided the groundwork for America's infrastructure. We came together as a nation to accomplish our task. Millions of women went to work in factories, ration cards, meatless Tuesday’s, scrap metal drives, victory gardens.  

Even the "outcasts", African Americans and Japanese Americans joined in the fight, to sacrifice for a country that rejected them when Pearl Harbor was attacked! This country, with all its faults, is still the most unique place on the planet, because it was intended to be nation of laws, built on the power of "We the People... and the Common Good."

Again, RAH (“evil,” not the Hollywood Devil or Satan garbage) -- the OPPOSITE OF TOV --  “Words Thoughts and Actions Which Destroy Life, it's Function and Quality -- has raised its specter on our world, as it hides in the Darkness of Anonymity. Technology has helped isolate more and more Americans to the point that radicalized authoritarian groups with "extractive values" are becoming attractive options to them. They feel entitled and spiritually driven to inflict their wills and desires upon all who are not in their elite circles!

I'm not offering Eternal Salvation, Prosperity Gospel, Perfection, or Cornucopia to all the problems on the planet, or even to Change the World! We are surrounded by people and groups offering all of those things and it is clear they are working. One thing they have in common is that they all point to something or someone else to fix things!

Real change in our parts of the world requires that we look in the mirror and point to that image as the source of change. However, that person cannot do what will be required alone. To use a familiar phrase – it requires teams. Over the past twenty-five years I have been on a journey and it has been preparing me to understand and explain to you why this teams approach is required. The first reason is that America is built on a team model – “We the People” – not “me and a bunch of unconnected individuals!”

In order to transform a bunch of unconnected individuals in teams, they must jointly recognize something as valuable and commit to protecting and preserving it. That’s what the members of “Greatest Generation” did. Many died for it. However, their “enemy” was very different from the RAH (“evil” we face). Their enemy attacked from the outside and wore identifying uniforms. The sources of RAH we face are very different and their targets are the minds of Americans. In addition to RAH, American minds have been under attack by others too – primarily for commercial purposes. The bottom line is that they played a major role in creating the “Me Generation” and all of the unconnected individuals living in America today.

As I said above, getting to this point has been a twenty-five journey and I believe that what we, Jim Myers and I, have learned has the power to begin the process of change that must begin before it is too late. We know that unexamined religious belief systems cannot provide the links that will connect Americans and make them a team. We also know that unexamined political and economic beliefs systems can’t do it either. The only thing we believe that can accomplish this is shared values -- and all Americans, especially those with Judeo-Christian heritages, already know them.

I want to bring people together, teach them about their shared values, help them create values-based relationships, and implement those values in their lives. We created a uniquely American model to help us successfully do these things – a sports model. This doesn’t mean we want to treat life as if it is just a game, but it means that the sports model has proven its worth in creating and training teams. We call our approach TOV Teams. TOV is a Hebrew word that appears in the first creation account of the Bible. It is the standard the Creator used to judge his work and reveals Values Family – groups of related values beginning with Life.

Implementing those Values in the lives of TOV Teams members, as well as others, are the primary goals of TOV Teams. Every Values Family below Life in the above graphic is required to create Life according to the Creator’s Standard.  

The sports model approach begins with creating – TOV FANS. Why do you professional sports teams – NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB – have so much influence today? Everyday there are many football, basketball, hockey and baseball games in America, but no one ever hears anything about them. Even though this may surprise a lot of people, it isn’t the game that causes professional games to be so important. What makes certain sports very important is that lots of fans tune in to watch their favorite teams. And, that is where a miracle takes place that most people are not even aware of – by being a fan and watching, they begin to learn the game.  

We created TOV Teams to do the same thing. The first step is to become a FAN and participate in activities you choose and learn more. You will learn by following TOV Teams Updates, participating in Gatherings and other social media activities. As time passes, more opportunities will become available for members who choose to become even more involved as players, coaches, sponsors, etc.

I am asking people who know me to support our vision by becoming a TOV Teams Member -- and simply being a TOV Fan. I am looking forward to regularly meeting with members who live in my “Home area,” at Gatherings designed to help them learn more and interact together. If you would like to be a member of my Home TOV Team, join today and let me know.

We have also created a special TOV Team which only a very few will have an opportunity to join – The Founders TOV Team. Membership in this team will only be available until December 31, 2016. The only other requirement is that it is for those who join as Lifetime Members. We understand that as members of the Founders Team, you will be with us as we deal with the “bumps in the road” we face during the launch phase. We will all learn and Co-Create together to make our parts of the world and our lives more TOV.

If you are considering where you will make yearend tax-deductible charitable donations for 2015 – please consider the TOV Center. Over the past twenty-five years we have collected lots of information. We have a vision and a plan. We know how to begin repairing the damages that have been done to Americans and America. We need two things to take things to the next level – members and funding.

I hope you will join with me by becoming a member of TOV Teams. For those living in the Dallas area, I look forward to seeing you at our Gatherings -- CLICK HERE TO JOIN.

Now it’s our turn to face the challenges of our generation. Let us leave a legacy for our descendants that include a better and safer American than the one we are living in now. Choose Life 1^st by Being a Co-Creator of TOV!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

THE LIGHTS OF HANUKKAH ARE THE LIGHTS OF TOV TOO!

I always loved Hanukkah, of course as a child, but also as an adult as well. There are warm memories of the sights, smells and feelings which return each year lighting the candles and giving the little gifts to family and friends. 

Growing up, we heard the story of the "miracle" of the cruise of oil that lasted for eight days. Later, it was interesting to study and learn about the real history behind the Hanukkah story, beginning with learning that the Oil story was created by the Rabbinic Sages a few hundred years after the events. Traditions are important, but the facts of the story in historical context teach some impressive lessons.

First, the true "miracle" was that a small band of guerrilla fighters with no military training and even less weapons defeated a Syrian Greek standing army and forced them to abandon Jerusalem. They then “re-dedicated” the Temple to Yahweh. The name “Hanukkah” comes from the Hebrew word that means “to dedicate.” Tradition tells us that the first Temple (Solomon's Temple) was dedicated on the festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles) which is eight days long. The Jews could not celebrate that festival at the correct time because the Greeks controlled the Temple.

Second, Hanukkah was the first war in history fought over religious freedom. What started as a civil conflict between Jews who wanted to assimilate completely into Greek culture and Jews who wanted to remain with their traditions, spilled over into international politics. The traditional Jews had the upper hand and the losing side invited the Syrian Greek King Antiochus in on their side. He outlawed the practice of Judaism, which in return led to the rebellion.

Third, many cultures and traditions light lights in ceremonies at this time of year. Why? The Darkness and cold of winter. There is a saying, "It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."

Today, there is a lot of darkness in our world -- terrible violence, hatred, bigotry and intolerance. These types of darkness seem so strong, that we seem to have lost our way. This year, help us provide a new reality and a new option to bring people, who may disagree about everything, together in TOV! The first thing to be declared TOV by the Creator was Light! Learning to live by the Creator’s TOV Standard and creating TOV Values-Based Relationships brings people together to CO-Create the solutions to the problems we face. This is what helps dispel the terrible darkness that surrounds so many and leads to Light and Life for the GOOD of all. So, don't curse the darkness, Co-Create the Light that adds to Life!

Doing TOV is Choosing Life and making it your Highest Value & Top Priority.

Learn more by visiting our website today by CLICKING HERE.

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day - The Awakening of the “Sleeping Giant”

Today is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Just before 8 a.m. on December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The barrage lasted just two hours, but it was devastating: The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress

On December 8^th President Roosevelt said, “Yesterday the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked . . . No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.” See pictures and read the complete story at -- http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor

What Good Government Does

The Declaration of Independence makes very clear how the colonists expect to be treated as “free people” and what good government does. Good government requires pursuing the common good, cultivating and protecting the rule of law and the sovereignty of the people, encouraging material prosperity and growth, and providing access to justice, security, and peace for the citizens. (Danielle Allen, Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality, p. 247)

TOV AFFIRMATIONS

TOV AFFIRMATIONS:

 (TOV means protect life, preserve life, make life more function and increase the quality of life.)

This is the beginning of a new day.

You have been given this day to use as you will.

You can waste it or use it for TOV.

What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever.

In its place is something that you have left behind.

Let it be something TOV.

FOUR THINGS YOU CAN'T RECOVER:

The stone after the throw.

The word after it's said.

The occasion after it's missed.

The time after it's gone.

Do TOV Choose Life!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

Giving Tuesday - Donate Today

It is Giving Tuesday - CLICK HERE to Give Today.

Thanksgiving is Everyday

I had just finished officiating a wedding for two of my former students and their families, both of whom I know for many years. It's always such a pleasure for me personally to share in such “Simchas" (joyous occasions) with the families and especially with the children who grew up with me as their rabbi. 

Afterwards, at the reception, the discussion at the table focused on "catching up" with a number of people from my former congregation, whom I had not seen in years. People told me I looked good and that I seemed much happier. Yes, for me, learning to be happier is a work in process. One person wanted to know just how I managed that! I responded that I found much wisdom in the old saying, "Count your blessings." I make a concerted effort to become aware of my blessings, especially the ones that happen daily. Even if one has no Higher Power, he or she can still be aware of and thankful for their "blessings", or however they refer to such things.

I added that, we come from a tradition which recognizes at least 100 blessings a day. Not because the Creator needs our blessings, but to make us aware that those things are gifts that are given daily. Learning to be GRATEFUL, THANKFUL AND APPRECIATIVE is part of the process of learning to be happier.

The "GIVING" part of Thanksgiving is directly tied to TOV! (words, thoughts and actions which Protect Life, Preserve Life, Make Life More Functional and Increase the Quality of Life) Making sure the most vulnerable people and animals have food, clothing, shelter, A CHANCE, is not one day a year!  It is EVERY DAY! Please, enjoy your families, enjoy your food, enjoy your company, enjoy the warmth, and enjoy the season!

"THANKS" + "GIVING" = TOV!

Doing and teaching TOV and Choosing Life helps me to be happier. I'm enjoying my children, my work, my home and my life, right now, not someday! Thanksgiving is Every Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

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BAR+BAT MITZVAH IS NOT A DAY…2.0

I recently started working with a new student towards a Bar Mitzvah ceremony and experience suitable to his needs. I was sitting there with his parents discussing which service we would use and the requirements. I was teaching about what the concept of being a Bar Mitzvah means and his father suddenly said with a gleam in his eye, "I just had a wonderful idea! I was never offered the chance to become Bar Mitzvah. I would love the opportunity to study with my son and share this experience!"

The son thought it was a great idea. I told his dad, by studying, he will fulfill one of the most important "mitzvahs" there is, to "Teach these instructions to your children." How can a parent teach their children values and lessons which they themselves don't know? Why sit in the Bliss of Ignorance, when one can benefit from learning and practicing the Wisdom of the Ages? This knowledge opens up whole worlds and provides guidance and a values system that helps create a different reality for the common good!

Lately, I've been encountering more and more people who want "More" out of life. They are searching for meaning and purpose beyond their daily routine. In Jewish tradition, there is the concept of a person who doesn't even know enough to ask a question. If one is honestly searching for meaning, especially in a Spiritual Sense, they should at least be literate. What does the ancient wisdom tell us, what lessons do the stories teach? How does this apply to my life and my choices?

Both father and son in this case chose to learn about the idea of TOV from Genesis 1. They felt it was the beginning of a new "creation" for them both.

Do TOV Choose Life!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

If find my blogs valuable, please share them with others and go to our TOV Center Facebook Page and “Like It” -- click here.

Your financial support is greatly appreciated. Click Here to contribute.

TOV and Our Democracy

One of the things I tell my premarital couples is that, though marriages may be Made in Heaven (or Hell), the Maintenance is Done here on Earth! Every day!!! All relationships need to be maintained in some way. It is our responsibility to nurture and nourish relationships, as well as fix and mend them. It is the same with our Democracy and our way of life. "WE THE PEOPLE" is not a spectator sport!

Last Sunday, The Dallas Morning News had an article in the Travel Section about the Munich Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism. This museum has no artifacts, but tells its chilling story with documents, photos and videos. It explains how the Nazis came to power in Munich and the lessons that history imparts. Winfried Nerdinger, the Director of the museum asks,"Why did it happen here, (Munich) not in any other place? And what do we learn about the fragility of Democracy?”

After the slaughter and brutality of the First World War, the accompanying humiliation, deprivation and starvation destabilized Germany, leading to unrest and revolution, especially in Munich, Bavaria's seat of power. "In the complicated political churn that followed, and a tug of war between moderate and political left-wingers, the political right started planting anti-Semitic seeds."

"By January 1919, the National German Workers Party was created and Adolf Hitler, who had a talent for getting people worked up, quickly rose to power within it." Hitler declared that Munich will always be the head-quarters for the movement. By 1922, there were 8,000 card carrying members. In 1933, the party seized power in Munich's City Hall. Thirteen days after the Nazis came to power, Dachau was opened.

The Director further said that, divide and conquer was the tactic. The Nazis split up people into "insiders and outsiders" -- US vs. THEM. Everyone and everything that didn't fit in this society was excluded. "On the ground floor of the museum, there is a news ticker of right-wing extremist actions from around the world that is continually updated, a stream of hatred, bigotry and exclusion that reminds us to stay vigilant, lest Democracy slip from our grasp again."

The cornerstone of the American political system is "WE THE PEOPLE," but unless Americans are able to communicate with others and act together, the "WE" will cease to exist!!

As Americans are becoming more isolated, more and more of them are becoming radicalized and joining extremist groups including cults. A recent CNN documentary showed how social media was being used to attract Americans. The analysis revealed that ISIS, among other groups, uses social media to repeat one strong message, "We did not belong where we were; now we belong!"

The TOV Teams model creates a place where everyone that shares TOV Values, can not only belong -- they fill spaces that no one else can fill. Each person brings his or her unique life experiences, skills, talents, creativity, ideas and passions to nurture, nourish, fix and mend Lives and Life, for the Common Good, a win-win for all. Come join TOV Teams and experience the full meaning of "WE THE PEOPLE" and the power and happiness that working together gives. Become a Founding Member of the TOV Center’s TOV Teams Network – Click Here.

Choose Life by Doing TOV!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

LIFE and TOV have Good Numbers & an Invitation for You

In the Hebrew alphabet, each letter has a numeral equivalent. For instance, the letter Aleph, which begins the alphabet equals 1, next letter Bet equals 2 and so on. There are a number of people who believe that the sum total of words or sentences have some hidden spiritual meaning or code.

The word "Life" in Hebrew, CHAI, equals the number 18. The letter CHET is 8 and the smallest letter YOD is 10=18. The name CHAIYIM( the plural of CHAI), literally means "Lives." Many of you who seen Fiddler On The Roof remember the song " To Life, L"CHAIYIM", which is the well known toast. An important part of a Jewish prayer service is called SHEMONAH ESREI, (or Amidah, because it's recited while standing) contains 18 blessings. When someone donates or gives money as a gift it is usually CHAI, $18 or double CHAI, $36 and so on. You can sum up the Jewish view of Life and Living from Fiddler, "One day it's honey cake, next day a stomach ache, drink L'CHAIYIM To Life!"

Judaism is a tradition that draws on a rich past, works for a positive future but is focused on the present. The work that Jim Myers and I are doing, teaching the TOV Standard, providing a means to examine our MEMES and to form collectives, teams of people with shared values and commitment, to address issues that need to be addressed and to take the actions needed to solve the practical problems our Political, Financial and Religious institutions cannot!

The word TOV also has good numbers! (TOV Standard are words thoughts and actions which Protect Life, Preserve Life, Make Life More Functional and Increases the Quality of Life) TET is 9, VAV is 6, BET/VET is 2. TOV equals 17. Tens and Sevens. Ten Plagues, Ten Commandments, Ten Generations from Adam to Noah another Ten Generations to Abraham. Seven Days of the week, Seven Days of Creation, Seven Blessings in the Jewish wedding ceremony. My own life seems to go in seven and ten year cycles. So, doing TOV strengthens and validates CHAIYIM, Life.

I saw a tee shirt recently that really hit the mark. It said, "TO CHANGE, WE MUST BE SICK AND TIRED OF BEING SICK AND TIRED!" Are You Sick and Tired of the WAY IT IS? We have the power to see what COULD BE. IT'S TIME FOR TOV!

Many of you know that I have been working on making TOV a Reality in lives for a long time. An important part of my work has been the founding of the TOV Center. I have been giving hints of what it will be doing as have been putting the pieces together. In the next few weeks I will be telling you much more as we launch the first phase of the TOV Center’s work.

We are in still in the construction phase of our website (still editing, all of the links are not live, new pages will be added & different browsers may create different looks), but I want to share two very important pages with you today: WHAT IS TOV & WHY TOV.

Many of you know me and know I care about and do my best to help people by doing TOV and have been doing it for a very long time. The TOV Center will help me help many more people. I hope you will join with me by becoming a Founding Member of the TOV Center and making a year-end contribution. My goal is to have the first 100 Lifetime Members join with me before the end of 2015, during this prelaunch period. I hope you will be among that group. If, that level isn’t possible for you at this moment, join at a level that works best for you. My primary goal is for us to be members of the TOV Team together – at any membership level! As I said above, the website is in a prelaunch mode right now, but a temporary Membership page is now online – CLICK HERE (you will recognize the role of “18” in membership levels).

I am really looking forward to receiving your email -- telling me you have become a fellow member of the TOV Team and are committed to the TOV vision – doing actions that Protect Life, Preserve Life, Make Life more Functional and Improve the Quality of Life!

Let’s Do TOV & Choose Life Together!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

Great Example and Lesson About TOV

The following story was shared on Facebook. It is a great example and lesson about TOV.

In Crown Heights, there was a Jew, Yankel, who owned a bakery. He survived the camps. He once said, “You know why it is that I’m alive today? I was a kid, just a teenager at the time. We were on the train, in a boxcar, being taken to Auschwitz. Night came and it was freezing, deathly cold, in that boxcar. The Germans would leave the cars on the side of the tracks overnight, sometimes for days on end without any food, and of course, no blankets to keep us warm,” he said.

“Sitting next to me was an older Jew – this beloved elderly Jew - from my hometown I recognized, but I had never seen him like this. He was shivering from head to toe, and looked terrible. So I wrapped my arms around him and began rubbing him, to warm him up. I rubbed his arms, his legs, his face, his neck. I begged him to hang on. All night long; I kept the man warm this way. I was tired, I was freezing cold myself, my fingers were numb, but I didn’t stop rubbing the heat on to this man’s body. Hours and hours went by this way.

Finally, night passed, morning came, and the sun began to shine. There was some warmth in the cabin, and then I looked around the car to see some of the other Jews in the car. To my horror, all I could see were frozen bodies, and all I could hear was a deathly silence.

Nobody else in that cabin made it through the night – they died from the frost. Only two people survived: the old man and me… The old man survived because somebody kept him warm; I survived because I was warming somebody else…”

Let me tell you the secret of Judaism. When you warm other people’s hearts, you remain warm yourself. When you seek to support, encourage and inspire others; then you discover support, encouragement and inspiration in your own life as well. That, my friends, is “Judaism 101”.

A Bar\Bat Mitzvah is not a day, it’s a life!

One of the things I love to do is, offer an alternative Bar\Bat experience not only for children with special needs, but also for children (and their parents) who truly want to be part of a meaningful Rite of Passage. For so many children and their families, this has become a Riteless Passage and Passageless Rite exiting the Bar\Bat Mitzvah Mill. Large numbers of these post-Bar\Bat mitzvah vets will not set foot in a synagogue again until necessary.

My students love the one on one instruction and their parents enjoy and share in the learning as well. Sometimes we delve into deep issues, questions of life and death, about God, about the Bible and the stories being told. I was engaged in just such a discussion with a young lady, who decided to become Bat Mitzvah a few years older than the normal age. She was struggling with exactly what the notion of being a Bat Mitzvah is and its meaning. We came to an insight that I wanted to share. The best way to understand this rite is that it is not just the day -- it's all the choices and consequences which come after that day.

● A Bar\Bat Mitzvah is not a day -- it's a life.

● It is the obligation to take responsibility for the decisions that will be made, just like like a grown up adult.

● It is the taking on of the self-obligation to act for the good of the community as well as for your own.

In order for someone to make these very important choices and decisions there must be a Values Standard. She just happened to pick the Creation Narrative which contains the TOV STANDARD for her D'var Torah (her interpretation and teaching on the story). She echoed her teacher and said, "Must be a good reason they started the whole Bible with the TOV Standard." (It does a rabbi's heart good.)

She may not remember the Ten Commandments, or the words of the Prophets, but she now has a Standard of Values for making TOV decisions and choices. The Sages teach, that every person should repent (do Teshuvah, process of reconciliation and repair of relationships) the day before one's death! Since we don't know when that day is, the message is, that should be every day.

Becoming Bar\Bat Mitzvah may begin on a particular day, but the process and the journey continues throughout our lives. Every day, we stand before the Tree of Knowledge of TOV and RAH, Good and Evil, Life and Death -- Choose Life by Doing TOV Every Day!

If find my blogs valuable, please share them with others and go to our TOV Center Facebook Page and “Like It” -- click here.

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

A Tool to Find Banks that Invest in the Local Economy

The reasons to choose a community bank or credit union range from getting the same services at a lower cost to supporting productive investment instead of speculative trading. But while it’s one thing to think about the qualities that are important in our banks, it’s another to find particular local banks that are enacting them. A new tool, called Bank Local, aims to make that process easier. Bank Local maps every banking institution in the U.S., and uses data from three federal agencies, plus its own algorithm, to assign them a Local Impact Rating. Users can type their address into a bar on the site’s homepage, and find a map and list of how nearby financial institutions compare. Read the complete article and find the link to the “Bank Local” tool at -- https://ilsr.org/a-tool-to-find-banks-that-invest-in-the-local-economy/

Parents Teach Your Children TOV!

I was scrolling through FB the other day and I came upon a wonderful video I had to share. The story takes place in Thailand. Briefly, a mother who is a fruit vender with a cart, with no education appears to be scratching out a living. Her little daughter sees other children enjoying ice cream, but there is no money for her to do the same. Her mother shows her how to cut a pineapple and to make a pop which is put on ice. Her daughter suggests selling them. She takes her pops to the market, but no one buys.

When the girl returned discouraged, her mother tells her this -- go to the market and watch what the other sellers do and you see the little light go on! She did and then she ran home and made her signs and started calling out her wares -- and she was successful. Her mother, whom I'm sure was wondering what she could she possibly teach her daughter, said, "Someday, when I am no longer here, I know she will be just fine."

A recent survey asked a group of younger parents what they felt the role of a parent should be. There were some surprising answers.

A number responded that they wanted to make their children happy, some said to be their best friend, others talked about providing, a few spoke about religion and family values.

I found it interesting that no one answered, "To make sure my children can take care of themselves when I'm not here, to provide them with a Values Standard, by living it ourselves, that will enable them to make good decisions for themselves and for others."

The mother in the video also stressed the importance of being able to solve problems on our own. Helping people evaluate a situation, look for the best options and taking action, is part of Empowered Decision Making!

What does this have to do with TOV? Well, to be TOV, Words Thoughts and Actions must PROTECT LIFE, PRESERVE LIFE MAKE LIFE MORE FUNCTIONAL AND INCREASE THE QUALITY OF LIFE. All of those things were reflected in the actions of that little girl's mother.

TOV belongs not only in the spiritual realm, but in the practical one as well – after all TOV is about Life, all parts of Life!

So parents, Teach Your Children TOV!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

If you like this blog, please visit our TOV Center Facebook Page by clicking here and “Like It.” And then “Share It” with others too. Thanks!

Seeing TOV at Work

Many people ask me about the work Jim Myers and I are doing with the TOV Center. We have already created educational material and products geared to the Social Media experience, which is an ongoing process. We are developing an awesome new website and connecting with a variety of very talented and creative people. It's all very exciting!

The TOV Concept can be adopted and adapted to any number of projects and programs. But how does TOV work? Here are three already functioning examples. In the last three days, I've re-posted some real TOV opportunities. The first is called The Pending Coffee. This started in Naples, Italy. People pay in anticipation for the coffees and even meals for others who can't. Paying it forward. Second, a nursing home in Seattle with a childcare center inside provides activities with the seniors and the kids. It's a win-win situation. The children learn about the elderly, can listen to their stories and in turn, the seniors benefit from the kid's energy, joy and companionship. The third project was about  rooftop gardening and the rich compost comes from food waste from the local mall. The food waste helps grow food utilizing unused space and provides food for the community. 

So many people have commented about what great ideas these and others are. Well, one of the things TOV Center does is bring collectives of people together who want to put these plans into action. These are people who are committed to a set of TOV Values and participate in face to face relationships to solve specific needs for the Common Good!

I hope this sheds some light on just one important aspect of our work.

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor

If you like this blog, please visit our TOV Center Facebook Page by clicking here and “Like It.” And then “Share It” with others. Thanks!

Can you stay focused for longer than 5 seconds?

“The average attention span at present is just 5 seconds long. Ten years ago it was 12 minutes.”

(1) How does a decreased attention span affect relationships between people, the quality of life, or the ability of people to acquire knowledge?  

(2) Does it make people more frustrated?

(3) Is it addicting people to social media?

(4) Does it make people easier to control and manipulate?

(5) What affect will this have on children as they enter adulthood?

(6) Is this simply the result of the advancing technology or by design?

What do you think? Go to our Facebook Page and let us know -- click here. 

What does the word “religion” mean?

For about fifty years now it has been clear in the academy that there is no universal way to define religion. In the West we see “religion” as a coherent system of obligatory beliefs, institutions, and rituals, centering on a supernatural God, whose    practice is essentially private and hermetically sealed off from all “secular” activities. But words in other languages that we translate as “religion” almost invariably refer to something larger, vaguer, and more encompassing. Read the complete blog at -- http://biblicalheritagecenter.blogspot.com/2015/10/what-does-word-religion-mean.html

The TOV Center Welcomes Billy Stout

We welcome Billy Stout to our TOV Center team.  Billy joins the team as an Advisory Director and Communications Coordinator. He is an achievement-oriented professional who brings his entrepreneurial drive and competent expertise from a diversified background of professional endeavors, including experience in sales, marketing, business development, technology services, corporate training and consulting, enhanced by team leadership skills and specialized sales training. 

In his business career, Billy has always been a team player with success in increasing profitability and competency in sales production. He exhibits superior client care, motivational, enthusiastic, and interpersonal skills. Billy has a proven record of increasing participation and morale for clients, maintaining a genuine concern to see colleagues and clients achieve their business goals.  Billy has consulted and worked with a variety of companies and associates including Nextel, Harper Collins Publishers, Arco Exploration, Aramark, The Outdoor Channel, The Vision Channel, Stephen Covey Seminars, Brian Tracy Seminars, American Management Association, and the California State Employee Training Panel.

Billy has a BS degree in Geophysics from San Diego Christian College and has done graduate work at SMU in engineering management.  He received an MBA from the University of Redlands (CA) with an emphasis in customer relationship management systems and internet commerce applications. He is ever passionate in obtaining the facts in pursuit of the truth as it applies to the issues of life. We are very proud to have Billy on the TOV Center team.

Please Remember MaKayla Dyer

Please keep the family of MaKayla Dyer in your thoughts and prayers. She is the little eight year old girl that was shot with a 12 gauge shotgun and killed by an eleven year old neighbor because she refused to let him see her puppy. Please consider making a donation to help the family on funeral expenses too. http://www.cooke-campbellmortuary.com/book-of-memories/2262786/Dyer-MaKayla/obituary.php

Would you like to increase the odds of success for your child? Do this & it’s FREE!

Words are like spotlights that reveal things to those who know them that are hidden from those who do not. The acquisition of words creates a treasure that cannot be taken from your child. With those treasures your child will be able to more accurately make distinctions between things that exists – as well as between reality and fiction. The odds of making good decisions in life increase exponentially as this treasure grows.

(1) Reading aloud is widely recognized as the single most important activity leading to language development. Among other things, reading aloud builds word-sound awareness in children, a potent predictor of reading success.

(2) Reading aloud to young children is not only one of the best activities to stimulate language and cognitive skills; it also builds motivation, curiosity, and memory. 

(3) Research shows that the more words parents use when speaking to an 8-month-old infant, the greater the size of their child's vocabulary at age 3. The landmark Hart-Risley study on language development documented that children from low-income families hear as many as 30 million fewer words than their more affluent peers before the age of 4. 

Giving this free gift is very important for another reason -- when you give it you are actually giving your child two gifts. Turn your phone, computer and TV off. Give the gift that no one else, no program or no app can give – your undivided attention. In today’s world, learning how to give another person your undivided attention will increase your odds of success, too. It will not take very long to begin to reap the rewards -- especially the priceless rewards that can only come from your child.

Read the article about the benefits of reading aloud at -- http://www.reachoutandread.org/why-we-work/importance-of-reading-aloud/

Pope Francis Speech to the United Nations

This is a speech well worth reading and its loaded with TOV Values -- http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122916/pope-franciss-address-united-nations-transcript-his-full

Insurance Company pays Travis DA’s office more than $400,000 to prosecute acts of fraud against it.

The contract between the company and the district attorney’s office is up for renewal on Oct. 1. Texas Mutual declined comment Tuesday. Under the arrangement, allowed under a decades-old state law, Texas Mutual Insurance pays more than $400,000 a year to fund a special unit in the Travis DA’s office dedicated to prosecuting acts of fraud against the company. Several local elected officials have criticized the deal and called for reforms, saying the cozy arrangement between government prosecutors and a private company at a minimum creates the appearance of a conflict of interest. Makes you wonder if Lady Justice is peaking under her blindfold these days. How many more public institutions of Justice are being paid like the one in Travis County? Read the article at -- http://www.texastribune.org/2015/09/22/travis-county-cant-stop-privately-funded-prosecuti/

Why public beheadings get millions of views

This is a very important subject that every American needs to understand. Please take a few minutes to watch Frances Larson’s Ted Talk.

“We're fulfilling the murderer's desire to be seen. When the victim of a decapitation is bound and defenseless, he or she essentially becomes a pawn in their killer's show. Unlike a trophy head that's taken in battle, that represents the luck and skill it takes to win a fight, when a beheading is staged, when it's essentially a piece of theater, the power comes from the reception the killer receives as he performs. In other words, watching is very much part of the event.”

View the video at -- http://www.ted.com/talks/frances_larson_why_public_beheadings_get_millions_of_views#t-10979